Copyright & associated rights transactions and management

Copyright recognises the skill and labour and the ‘creative stamp’ expended by an author in creating a work. Copyright is, put simply, a right to copy a work (the owner may also restrict acts other than copying). The law is set out mainly in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA 1988), which took effect from 1 August 1989. Transitional provisions apply to pre-existing works.

In practice, one work tends to give rise to multiple copyrights. When considering copyright works, rights distinct from copyright, eg design rights, should also be considered as they may also apply to creative works. For an introduction to the law of copyright, see Practice Note: Introduction to copyright and associated rights.

Tracking developments in copyright law and practice

Copyright law has the sizeable task of responding to changes brought about by businesses and consumers operating in a digital age. As well as more organic legal developments, new technologies, the internet and post-IP completion day considerations provide an inexhaustible supply of challenges for those who do business in the UK and the rest of the world. To keep up with

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Latest IP News

IP weekly highlights—12 February 2026

This week's edition of IP weekly highlights includes: a hand-picked summary of news analysis, updates and new content from the world of IP. These highlights focus on the key rights of copyright and associated rights, design rights, database rights, trade marks and passing off, and patents, as well as covering issues relating to confidential information, know-how R&D and IP disputes all mainly from a UK and European perspective.

European Parliament adopts codified EU Designs Regulation

The European Parliament has adopted a legislative resolution approving the codification of the Regulation on European Union designs, advancing the reform under the ordinary legislative procedure in Strasbourg on 10 February 2026. The resolution (P10_TA(2026)0032), adopted in plenary under procedure 2025/0190(COD), concerns the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on European Union designs (COM(2025)0353 – C10-0140/2025).

No account of profits for unjustified threats of IP infringement proceedings (Luxe World v Touch of Vogue)

IP analysis: The court held that an account of profits is not available for an action in respect of unjustified threats under sections 26–26F of the Registered Designs Act 1949 (RDA 1949). It seems likely that the same principle applies to other statutory remedies against unjustified threats in other IP statutes. The corollary of the decision is that it is not possible to use the reasoning discussed in Lifestyle Equities v sportsdirect.com Retail [2016] EWHC 2092 (Ch) to defer paying the large court fee for an unquantified money claim. Written by Michael Smith, barrister at Three Stone.

Commission launches consultation on AVMSD review and update

The European Commission has launched a public consultation to assess the impact of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and explore options for its review. The review, planned in the Commission work programme for 2026, aims to simplify and adapt audiovisual media rules to a rapidly shifting media landscape, as highlighted in the European Democracy Shield. Core priorities include streamlining advertising rules, improving the level playing field between traditional and new digital players, and strengthening protections of minors on video-sharing platforms. The Commission also aims to secure prominence of media services of general interest while improving coherence with other EU laws, notably the Digital Services Act. The consultation is organised in four distinct pillars: scope and enforcement, audiovisual commercial communications, protection of viewers and strengthening of media diversity in the internal market. Feedback is invited from citizens, Member State authorities, companies, consumer organisations, non-governmental organisations, media freedom organisations, associations of journalists, and academic institutions. The consultation runs from 10 February 2026 to 1 May 2026.